The Mighty Mage
Chapter 353: Portal

Chapter 353: Chapter 353: Portal

Gu Aihan slowly left too.

However this time before she can leave without getting noticed, Gu Jihu’s subordinates catch her.

The dimly lit basement was cold, with stone walls that seemed to trap the silence and amplify the tension in the air. Gu Aihan sat bound on a wooden chair, her wrists and ankles tied with magical ropes that shimmered faintly in the darkness. Her usually confident demeanor had been replaced by fear, her wide eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape.

The heavy door creaked open, and Gu Jihu entered, followed by Gu Jichun.

Both siblings had a dark, unreadable expression on their faces.

Gu Jihu’s sharp eyes gleamed dangerously, while Gu Jichun’s lips were set in a tight, cold line.

Gu Aihan’s voice trembled as she pleaded,

"Please, let me go. We... we were siblings once. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?"

Gu Jihu chuckled, the sound low and mocking. He stepped closer, his boots clicking against the stone floor.

"Siblings? Do you really think we’re still siblings after everything you’ve done? You’ve caused trouble for our family over and over again. Do you think I’ll just let that slide?"

Gu Aihan’s eyes filled with tears as she turned to Gu Jichun.

"Chun... please, you have to understand. Show me some mercy! We were once family!"

But Gu Jichun interrupted her with a voice as cold as ice.

"Family? We aren’t even biologically related. You’re the reason Gu Jin had to suffer in an orphanage while you lived a luxurious life. You took everything from her. Don’t you dare talk about family to me."

Gu Aihan opened her mouth to plead again, but Gu Jihu cut her off.

His voice was calm, yet each word carried an unmistakable menace.

"You know, Aihan, I was considering giving you a quick death. But your constant interference with our family’s affairs... trying to force your way back into the Gu family and dragging Jin into this mess..."

He paused, his gaze sharp enough to cut steel.

"You’ve made me change my mind. I think I’ll take my time."

Gu Aihan froze, her face going pale. Then, out of nowhere, she began to laugh. It was a strange, hollow sound that echoed eerily in the room. Gu Jihu and Gu Jichun exchanged a wary glance as Aihan’s laughter grew louder.

Suddenly, Aihan’s body tensed, and she stood up, the magical ropes snapping apart with a burst of fiery energy.

Her hands ignited, bright flames licking her fingers as she glared at Gu Jihu with a wicked grin.

"You think you can keep me tied up?" she hissed. "I’ll show you what I’m capable of!"

With a swift motion, Aihan hurled a blazing fireball directly at Gu Jihu.

The heat from the attack lit up the room, casting wild shadows on the walls. But Gu Jihu didn’t flinch.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a shimmering barrier of space energy, the fireball dissolving into harmless sparks against it.

Aihan’s eyes widened in shock, but she quickly regained her composure and launched another attack.

This time, she sent a wave of fire followed by jagged shards of earth erupting from the ground.

The combination of elements was chaotic and powerful, but Gu Jihu stood his ground, his expression calm and almost bored.

With a flick of his wrist, Gu Jihu activated his sound element. A deep, resonant hum filled the room, and the waves of fire and earth shattered mid-air, their fragments disintegrating into nothing. The sound was so intense that Aihan staggered back, clutching her ears in pain.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Gu Jihu taunted, his voice echoing unnaturally. "You’re not even worth my full strength."

Aihan growled in frustration, her hands trembling as she conjured twin streams of water and fire, twisting them together into a deadly vortex.

She hurled it at Gu Jihu with all her might, her face twisted in desperation.

But Gu Jihu moved faster than her eyes could follow.

In an instant, he teleported behind her using his space element.

Before she could react, he struck her with a blast of chaotic energy, the force sending her crashing into the stone wall.

The impact left cracks spidering out from where she hit, and Aihan let out a pained cry as she slumped to the floor.

"You’re weak," Gu Jihu said coldly, walking toward her.

"You rely on flashy attacks, but you have no control. No strategy. You’re nothing but a disappointment."

Aihan struggled to her feet, her body bruised and trembling. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but she refused to give up. She clenched her fists, summoning her remaining strength. The ground beneath her feet rumbled as she summoned massive spikes of earth, aiming to impale Gu Jihu.

But once again, Gu Jihu was unfazed.

He raised his hand, and a wave of fire surged forward, consuming the earth’s spikes in an instant.

The flames didn’t stop there.

They roared toward Aihan, forcing her to leap out of the way.

Before she could recover, Gu Jihu appeared beside her, his movements swift and precise.

He grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground with ease.

Aihan gasped, her hands clawing at his arm as she struggled to breathe.

"You’ve wasted enough of my time," Gu Jihu said, his voice low and menacing.

His grip tightened, and Aihan’s eyes filled with terror.

"Jihu, stop," Gu Jichun said suddenly, stepping forward. Her expression was cold,

"Not so easily."

"I agree too." Gu Jin’s sudden voice sounded surprising to everyone.

"I’ll handle her myself," she said, stepping forward. Her expression was cool and unyielding, a stark contrast to the chaos around them.

Gu Jihu hesitated for a moment, his grip on Gu Aihan’s neck loosening slightly.

"Are you sure, Jin?" he asked, his voice steady but tinged with curiosity.

"Yes," Gu Jin replied without looking at him.

"This isn’t about brute strength. It’s about justice. And I’ll make sure she pays for what she’s done."

Gu Aihan’s head tilted weakly, her breaths shallow.

Despite her battered state, there was a flicker of defiance in her eyes as she looked at Gu Jin.

Gu Jin raised her hand, and tendrils of energy began to form around her fingers, twisting and coiling like living vines.

The air in the room grew heavy, charged with a strange, earthy power.

The vines extended, their tips sharp and glowing faintly green, as they moved toward Gu Aihan.

But before the vines could reach her, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

A strange, intense fluctuation of energy filled the room, making the walls tremble and the ground quake beneath their feet.

The magical ropes lying shattered on the floor began to glow faintly, and a sudden wind swept through the basement despite the lack of windows or open doors.

"What’s going on?" Gu Jichun exclaimed, her voice sharp with alarm.

Before anyone could answer, a portal ripped open in the air behind Gu Aihan.

The swirling vortex was dark and unstable, its edges crackling with lightning-like energy.

The sheer force of it made the entire room shudder, and a deafening hum resonated in their ears.

Gu Jin reacted immediately.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she lunged forward, grabbing Gu Jihu and Gu Jichun by their hands.

"Hold on!" she shouted, her voice urgent.

She entered her space with her siblings, just as a massive explosion erupted behind them.

The force of the blast was immense.

The walls of the basement crumbled like sandcastles, and the ground split apart, swallowing everything in its path.

Stone and debris flew in all directions, the sound of destruction drowning out everything else.

The entire area collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but a massive crater where the basement once stood.

Before Gu Jihu and Gu Jichun could react, Gu Jin knocked them out.

Usually, it would have been difficult for her to overpower two mages more powerful than her, but since they were unguarded, Gu Jin easily knocked them out.

By the time they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the debris of the basement.

Gu Jihu groaned as he sat up, dust and rubble clinging to his clothes.

His head ached, and his surroundings were a mess of broken stones and twisted metal.

"What... happened?" he muttered, his voice rough.

Gu Jichun was already on her feet, brushing dirt off her arms. Her sharp eyes scanned the area, taking in the destruction.

"We were in the basement. There was an explosion, and now... this." She gestured at the chaos around them.

Gu Jin was standing a few feet away, her back to them. Her posture was stiff, her head tilted as though she were deep in thought.

"Jin," Gu Jichun called out, her voice cutting through the silence. "What’s going on? And why are we still alive?"

Gu Jin turned slowly, her expression unreadable.

"Just some trick."

Gu Jichun folded her arms, her eyes narrowing.

"Where’s Gu Aihan? Did she escape through the portal?"

Gu Jin hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding.

"Yes. She’s gone, and whoever helped her is powerful. That portal wasn’t her doing."